Angels Who Fall - A Homestuck AU
by TheDaveOfGuy
Summary: Karkat is an Anima -a birdlike person- who was sent to find a 'lost angel' who had been born on Earth, of which there are very few. But when he finds his target -one John Egbert- he realizes a mistake had been made. John is a human. [obviously I don't own any of the main characters - I'll point out the ones I do own when they appear] {On Temporary Summer Hiatus}
1. AWF - 1 - Snow Day

1 - Snow Day

/December, 2011, a Friday  
 _Egbert Residence/_

It was December, and snow blanketed the little town where John Egbert lived. It had started the night before, a gentle sprinkling of silver that stuck instead of melting. The snow had gotten heavier throughout the day, and so school had been cancelled. As the day drifted on, the fluffy flakes gathered around everything, making the world sparkle like in a Hallmark movie. Snow congregated on roofs and cars, and buried the streets.  
Most people, at a time like this, would be outside, playing in their newly discovered winter wonderland.  
Not John.  
Jonathan Egbert sat in his living room, curled up in his pajamas and a blanket, watching movies. He got cold easily; winter wasn't his season.  
His dad was gone on a business trip, and because of the snow he wouldn't be coming back for another day or so. But, being fifteen, John could be pretty independent when he wanted to be.  
So anyways, there he sat, watching the glorious Nicholas Cage while drinking hot chocolate.  
That was, until he heard the thump.  
It was a loud, startling thump, as of a heavy _something_ hitting the roof.  
John figured it was just a pile of snow fallen from its perch on a tree limb, but after only a couple moments he couldn't bear the curiosity.  
He paused his movie, Nic's stunning face frozen in a close-up.  
He rose out of his cave of blankets, donning a jacket before stepping a ways out the door.  
He was surprised at the cold blast to his legs, before he remembered that he was only in his boxers.  
He turned toward where the sound had come from, not seeing anything.  
Then, a mound of snow and grey-black rolled from the roof, clumsily falling with a curse and hitting the ground with a reckless crash.  
John yelped and jumped back, wishing he had more protection than just a jacket.  
The fallen object moved, shifted under its pile of snow.  
"H-hello...?" John stammered, as he took a hesitant step towards it.  
At first, he was greeted with silence. Then, the top of a head poked through the white, the only things visible were pale, blonde-grey messy locks and piercing garnet eyes.  
Instead of a frightening voice to match the eyes, the muffled voice that came from the snow was slightly raspy and awkward, as if embarrassed he had fallen.  
"Um, is there a John here? A John Egbert?"  
John, still quite startled and frightened by those dark red eyes, could only murmur, "Y..yes..."  
The figure's brows furrowed slightly, getting over his earlier embarrassment and taking on a ruder tone.  
"Where is he? It's important that I see him."  
John was dumbstruck. This...person? had come crashing onto his roof and with no explanation wanted to know where he was.  
He narrowed his eyes, backing up a little.  
"First.. tell me who you are. How did you get onto my roof? ...What do you want with John?"  
The creature growled.  
"What does it matter? I need to see John. It's important!"  
John wasn't going to be swayed.  
"Who are you?!"  
The snow-covered mound sighed.  
"If I tell you, will you get John for me?"  
He didn't wait for a reply.  
"My name is Karkat Vantas. ...I'm an Anima... I've come for John,"  
The urgency in his voice rose.  
"Where is he?"  
John, still cautious, kept his eyes narrow.  
"What does 'Anima' mean? I still don't know how you got onto my roof!"  
Karkat made another angry sound.  
"Of course you don't know what Anima means! But John probably would, can you just fucking get him for me already?!"  
John flinched a bit at the expletive; this guy must really be in a hurry…  
"Umm... I am... John... But I don't know what 'Anima' means, and I definitely don't know who you are or how you got here!"  
Karkat's eyes grew wide.  
"You're John? John Egbert?"  
John was starting to get to end of his rope with this guy. What the hell did he want?  
"Yes, that's my name! What do you want with me?"  
Karkat rose up out of the snow, shaking it off, and John thought he saw long, soft-looking hair spilling on top of his shoulders.  
Karkat walked close, catching John off guard. He spun around John, staring intently at the boy, looking over every detail.  
While being inspected, John gathered information on Karkat.  
The boy was short, five feet tall. That was only six inches shorter than John himself, but it was enough that John had to look down to him. Judging by his face, though, he was sixteen, perhaps seventeen. He wore a long black trench coat that went down near to his ankles, and since it was buttoned up, nothing else clothing-wise was visible except for his heavy-looking combat boots.  
As the stranger walked in puzzled circles around him, John whirled in place at the same time.  
Karkat's face was bewildered, and John could only figure his own looked the same.  
Karkat's face was small, almost a little chubby, and his skin was a light olive. His eyes were the same dark garnet that had peeked from the snow.. hard, mean, but.. kind, at the same time. And his hair was a pale blonde-grey, messy and short.  
But in the back it was longer, discolored, and... softer, almost like…  
And then it hit him.  
I wasn't Karkat's hair.  
Peeking up from the neck of his trench coat were-  
Light. Grey. Feathers.  
And at the same time, something seemed to click in Karkat's mind.  
He spun John to face him, grabbing his shoulders roughly, speaking loudly and urgently.  
"John! Where the everloving fuck are your wings?!"


	2. AWF - 2 - A Dream Of Flight

2 - A Dream Of Flight  
/December, 2011, a Friday  
 _Egbert Residence_ /

John hadn't even registered the question.  
Those had been feathers…  
"John!"  
Karkat's shout brought John back a bit.  
"What? What the hell are you?!"  
Karkat ignored the second part.  
He whipped to John's back and tugged the boy's jacket off.  
"Hey! What are you doing? Sto-"  
Karkat's eyes widened further as he lifted up John's shirt to look at his back.  
"Stop it! It's cold, what are you doing?!"  
"Shut up! Just shut up! Someone will hear you if you don't _shut up_!"  
John tried unsuccessfully to pull himself away. Karkat was strong, especially for his size.  
"That's kind of the point!"  
Karkat took a deep breath.  
"Okay, I'll calm down if you do, how about that?"  
John looked behind his shoulder to Karkat, searching his dark face for any answers. Instead, he only found more questions.  
Karkat's voice sounded like he was straining to stay calm.  
"John, your wings.. y-your tail..."  
"What the hell are you talking about?!"  
"Where are they..? There aren't even any scars, so they couldn't have been torn off..."  
John couldn't believe his ears. Was this guy insane? _Wings_?  
"Of course I don't have wings! No one does! Are you nuts?"  
Karkat just backed away from John, shaking his head, though out of shock, disappointment, or fear, John couldn't tell.  
Karkat sighed, and started to unbutton his coat.  
John picked up his own jacket and pulled it back on, shivering from the exposure to the cold.  
Karkat had fully unbuttoned his coat, but held it closed with his hands.  
"John.." He started slowly, "if I explain what I'm talking about, will you stay quiet about it? No yelling, no screaming, and no telling _anybody_. Got that?"  
Again, Karkat didn't wait for an answer. John figured he did that often.  
Karkat slid off the trench coat, dropping it behind him.  
He took a shaky breath and spread out his wings.  
 _Wings_.  
They were huge, and light grey, all except for the longest feathers, which were a deep scarlet, and the very tiniest of feathers along the tops of them.  
John stood, speechless.  
This couldn't be real.  
Karkat ruffled his feathers and shook out his tail, a feathered tail that went down to the backs of his knees. It was the same grey, all except for the outermost bottom feathers, which were scarlet, like his wings.  
"I am an Anima. We have wings, and tails..."  
John decided that as long as he was in this dream, he may as well learn _something_.  
"There are.. more of you?"  
Karkat nodded, thankful he was getting _some_ cooperation.  
"Yes. There are whole cities of us. The one I'm from is called the Haven, it's kind of like our capital."  
"And... you can... fly?"  
Karkat frowned.  
"Of course, dipshit! Why wouldn't we be able to fly?!"  
"I... Well, I dunno... It's just, that's crazy."  
The Anima raised an eyebrow.  
"Crazy?"  
"Yeah! People flying? That's the stuff you only read about... or dream about." He was dreaming then, and he knew it. This wasn't possible. No way. Nope.  
Karkat sighed.  
"If I show you, will you believe me?"  
John shrugged. "..Sure." Of course he'd fly, what else would a dream-bird-guy do?  
Karkat's eyes narrowed. Something seemed off. But, whatever.  
"Okay, here you go. One shitty air show, coming up."  
Karkat then turned to face down the driveway, angling himself down and half-tucking his wings.  
Then, he began to sprint, gaining speed and leaping just before he hit the road.  
The world seemed to pause while he hung in the air.  
Then, it was shattered, as he snapped out his wings and pushed himself up in a whirl of feathers and snow.  
John stared open-mouthed as Karkat's powerful wings flapped, taking him higher. He soared, wings outstretched, hands reaching out as if to touch the clouds. He held himself aloft, looking down to John and waving.  
John, not knowing what else to do, waved back at the garnet-eyed boy in the sky.  
Suddenly, Karkat's wings collapsed to his sides, making him dive at a steep angle.  
Before John could do anything, the young Anima was standing in front of him once again, wings relaxed, and he briskly shook his tail before continuing.  
"So, do you believe me now?"  
John laughed at little. A dream was still a dream, no matter how real it seemed, right?  
... _Right_?


	3. AWF - 3 - Real-Life Possibilities

3 - Real-Life Possibilities  
/December, 2011, a Friday  
 _Egbert Residence_ /

John laughed a little nervously.  
To be honest, he didn't know if he believed this or not.  
Of course, it wasn't possible, he was sane enough to know that. It wasn't possible for people to have wings, or to fly. Anyone could tell you that.  
But still…  
He had just seen this kid fly.  
With _wings_.  
It had seemed so _real_ , it had all looked and sounded and felt so real…  
And it still did. Karkat stood in front of him, only a few feet away. Every detail of him was lifelike, sharp and accurate, not at all dreamy or hazy.  
His breaths had a rhythm, the gentle ups and downs of his chest and shoulders, his wings shifting ever-so-slightly along with his shoulder blades. Little puffs of white formed from his mouth and nose, rising up and disappearing just in time to be replaced with another.  
The still-falling snow stuck to his clothes, his hair, and his feathers, the white glinting like gold in the cold sun.  
…It was _too real_ to be a dream.  
If it was a dream, he should be waking up soon, but he didn't feel like he would be. Besides, he'd never had a conscious dream, one where he was aware of his hallucinations. That didn't happen, did it?  
So maybe this… wasn't a dream?  
He had to be sure… Perhaps if he felt those feathers..?  
Karkat's now-soft voice broke him from his trance. "Hey…"  
John realized that while he'd been busy thinking, his body had autopiloted itself to Karkat, reaching out a hand to touch the silky grey feathers on his shoulders.  
"What are you doing…?" Karkat looked at him with a calm, yet almost wide-eyed expression, and John found his hand running over the feathers a few times, the red-and-grey softness much too lifelike under his fingers.  
There was no way this could be a dream…  
Karkat must have noticed the change of belief on John's face, because he smiled slightly. It was something that looked a little foreign on his face, like he didn't do it often.  
"So, do you believe me now?"  
John took a deep breath, then sighed. "…Yeah… I do, I think…"  
Saying that, for some reason, seemed to take a weight off his shoulders. Made all of this seem easier. As if he'd known, somewhere deep inside of himself, that he would believe it. He felt a kind of small warmth near his chest, but brushed it from his thoughts and stood back a bit.  
Karkat released a breath in relief. His job just got about ten times easier.  
"Well… now that you, at least, are going to believe what I'm telling you, I should explain the full story… Because obviously you didn't get the memo.  
John nodded. "Yeah… There's still a lot of explaining to do."  
The wind started to pick up again, blowing snow in their direction. John shivered, his legs nearly numb by now.  
"Um… do you want to go inside? It's warm in there… My dad isn't home, so you don't have to worry about that."  
Karkat nodded thankfully. "Yes, thank you… Besides, I think you'll want to sit down, it's kind of a long story."  
John started back to the door, Karkat grabbing his coat and following.  
Once they were inside, John sat down in his mound of blankets, grateful for the warmth to his legs, and Karkat sat on the couch.  
He was quiet for a moment, looking around, before looking back down to John. He wondered aloud, "Where should I even start…?"  
John shrugged. "The beginning, I guess…"  
Karkat nodded again, took a deep, steady breath.  
"Okay."  
And so he began.  
"Well… Here goes nothing. I'll try to make it fast and painless, but… no promises.  
There are cities in the clouds, and passages between them and the earth called the SkyWay.  
In those cities, there are many Anima like me. Our leaders are called the Council of Archanima, and there are six of them. No one ever really sees them, but... they kind of run everything.  
I was called by them to find a lost Anima, one of us who was born on earth. It was an honor of a job... you see, there aren't many Anima born down here… I was to find this Anima, and bring him back up to the Haven with me."  
"That-" -at this point he made a little gesture to John- "was supposed to be you. The Archanima Council said that there was an Anima down here, right at this spot... And his name was John Egbert."  
John processed all of this. He knew it was probably a lot more complicated than Karkat was making it out to be, but it was still a pretty wild story... even coming from a person with wings.  
"Me..?" He asked. "You mean.. I'm supposed to have wings like you?"  
Karkat released another deep breath.  
"Yeah."  
John held his head in his hands, attempting to make a little sense of this.  
"But... I'm just a normal guy..."  
The winged boy just looked down.  
"It seems so. But that's the thing. You're not supposed to be! All their indicators said you were an Anima... I don't understand it, either."  
John leaned back, landing in his blankets with an _oomph_.  
"Ughhhhhhhh!" He let out a frustrated sound and closed his eyes. "..So what do we do?"  
Karkat shook his head.  
"I don't know, I was never prepared for this situation... but... I think I'll have to take you up to the Council myself, and ask them what went wrong."  
John thought about this for a minute. Up to the Haven? A city in the clouds?  
Karkat continued, brainstorming a bit.  
"But considering that you have no wings, I'm not sure how I'll get you there. Finding the SkyWay isn't the hard part, it's directly above your roof... But it's a flight tunnel, so I think carrying you as I fly would be the only way... But I have no idea how -or if- that would work..."  
He trailed off, and as he did, John let loose another sigh.  
"So that's the plan then?  
We just.. Wing it?"  
Karkat's tiny smile returned, and he laughed a little. _Wing it_.  
"Yeah. Go get warmer clothes on and find a ladder... and meet me up on the roof."  
John pulled himself up and obeyed. Karkat watched until John got to his bedroom doorway, and then he disappeared back out into the snow. A few seconds later, John heard a gentle tap on the roof.  
He went to his closet, pulling out a blue sweater and a pair of black skinny jeans. He pulled them on and grabbed his black combat boots, which, admittedly, weren't as cool as Karkat's.  
He checked himself in the mirror, brushing through his hair with his fingers and pulling on a dark blue beanie. He looped a grey scarf around his neck and made sure his mother's necklace was hidden well under it and the sweater.  
He thought for a minute he was overdoing it, but there was snow outside, and he was susceptible to the cold. Besides, if they were going up to the Haven like Karkat said... wouldn't the altitude difference make him colder?  
Then he started to worry a bit. What if he couldn't breathe that high up? Air got thinner the further up you went. And didn't Karkat mention their cities being built on clouds? Clouds were anything but solid!  
He took a few breaths, holding himself together.  
"Calm down, Egbert..." He told his reflection, "If Karkat's real, and he definitely is, then all this other stuff is probably real and okay too. Besides, it isn't like you're going to be living up there! They just need to figure out what they did wrong, and then Karkat will take me back here before Dad gets back on Monday..."  
He pocketed his phone, just in case, and headed to the backyard to find a ladder, pushing his worries to the back of his mind.


	4. AWF - 4 - Ascension

4 - Ascension

/December, 2011, a Friday

 _Egbert Residence_ /

A few minutes and a climb up a ladder later, John stepped up onto the roof. Karkat had his back to John, studying the snowy streets. A gust of wind was blowing, not stopping. John looked up, and through the snow he saw a great swirl of clouds. The wind seemed to be coming from it.

"Karkat? …I'm here."

Karkat turned around and walked towards him quickly, as if he was in a great hurry.

"Okay. Let me explain a couple things really fast. That-" -he pointed up to the swirling, wind-swept clouds above them- "is a wind tunnel, the roads of the Skyway. It's a small one, like all the ones that lead to Earth."

John nodded. "…And we're going to fly up there?"

Karkat smirked a little. " _I'm_ going to fly up there. _You're_ going to hold on."

And with that, he quickly wrapped his arms around a startled John and took off.

/ _Rouge Wind Tunnel_ /

There was a whoosh, wind suddenly smacking John in the face with a force he couldn't believe, and a second later, he was weightless.

He realized his eyes had been closed, and opened them to see nothing but sky, clouds, and Karkat around him.

With a startled yelp, he unconsciously buried his head into Karkat's shoulder, holding tightly onto him.

Karkat growled a bit. "What are you doing? Just hold on! You don't have to act like I'm going to drop you!"

John pulled his head away a little. "Aren't I heavy? This can't be easy, carrying me up this high…"

The grey-blonde rolled his eyes. "You're actually really light. Not as light as one of us, but no, you really aren't much of a burden. Just hold your arms around my neck, and your legs around my waist or something."

John nodded and did what he was told. Once they were both comfortable, and the awkwardness had mostly been ignored, John actually took the time to look around him. The wind tunnel was just that - a rather large tunnel of wind, roughly 25 feet across. The outer edge was veiled in thick, puffy-looking clouds, But as they moved and shifted, he could catch glimpses of sky here and there. At first, the passage had been straight up, but as they got higher, the tunnel slanted at an angle. To fit through this way, Karkat to slanted himself at an angle, and all John could do was to hold on as he hung like a koala bear and hope that Karkat's arms around him wouldn't give out.

But Karkat was stronger than he seemed, and the ride went without a hitch.

After a while of silently observing his surroundings, John heard Karkat saying, "Alright, we're about to connect to the larger tunnel at the gates of the Haven… I have some friends waiting for us there. They couldn't wait to meet the new Anima… Looks like they're in for a surprise."

John watched as the small tunnel they flew in opened up to an even larger cavern of clouds. And at the far end of the new tunnel was a magnificent city of gold, pearl, and white marble. In the center stood a hill, on top of which was a large round building with a glass dome for a top. Coming out from this dome was a large, knotted oak tree. Around the great city buildings were hills and cliffs of clouds, dotted sparsely with… trees, somehow.

All was surrounded by a tall gold-brick wall, set with giant gold gates.

"And there," said Karkat, sounding like a tour guide, "Are the gates of the Haven."

John looked past the shiny gates and saw small winged figures on the other side.

They were waiting for him.


	5. AWF - 5 - Birds Of A Feather

5 - Birds Of A Feather

/December, 2011, a Friday

 _Haven's Gates_ /

((A Quick A/N: Alright, we're finally 5 chapters in! I will say, this is farther than I've ever gotten in a story... a little shaming on my part, but I'm confident that this is only the beginning to AWF and many other stories I plan to write. Also, of anything I've written so far, this chapter was my favorite. I had a lot of fun with this one!  
Warm regards, TheDaveOfGuy.  
Ciao!))

The Gates rested on a bed of clouds, and those clouds extended like a floor away from them as far as the eye could see.

Karkat flew over to them, landing just before the Gates.

"Um… John… You can let go now."

John, who was still holding on to Karkat, didn't move.

"Karkat, I'm not sure if you know this, but you're standing on a cloud…"

The bird-boy sighed. "Yes, I'm aware. What else?"

"Karkat. Clouds. Condensed water vapor. Not solid."

Karkat clenched his fists. "You can stand on them! Just get off!"

John, by now, was convinced this bird guy was trying to kill him.

"Look, I don't know how you crazy 'Anima' can do it, but humans can't stand on clouds! If I step down, I'm going to fall through and I'm going to die!"

Karkat seemed to pause and consider.

"Hm… well, you technically aren't who I was sent to bring back… In reality, you don't mean a thing to me. I could easily drop you over the edge here and tell them that I couldn't find you." Here, he walked over to the edge of the cloud, and leaned John over the edge of it.

Through a gap in the cloud tunnel below, John could see all the way back down to earth. All. The way. Down. The distance turned the ground a blue color. John had been in an airplane before, but that was nothing compared to this height.

John screeched and clung tighter. "Fine! Fine! I-I'll stand on the damn cloud - just don't drop me!"

Karkat smirked. "Better."

He walked back a few steps, and John reluctantly touched his feet to the cloudy ground. They sunk in an inch or so, but then stopped. It didn't really feel… solid… but he didn't sink any further. His arms, however, remained firmly clamped to Karkat. He didn't plan on letting go.

"There… see? …I'm standing…"

"No! I said. To fucking. Get. OFF!"

Karkat, thoroughly fed up, wrenched John's arms off of him and shoved the boy away. John flew backwards and hit the spongy ground on his rear end. He flailed around in a momentary panic before noting he was still atop the cloud, and not free-falling five thousand feet up.

John sighed in relief, while Karkat rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Egbert… introductions will have to be quick. You've made enough of a spectacle of yourself; I want to get you out of the public's eye."

Now it was John's turn to roll his eyes.

Karkat extended a hand, and John reluctantly accepted. Karkat helped him up, and let him get a little used to the feeling of the cushiony ground under his feet. Once he seemed steady, Karkat led him through the massive metal gates.

When they came closer, Karkat looked up towards the top of the great wall, at one ot the windows, where John could just make out the shape of a person. Karkat waved, and the figure waved back. Moments later, the gates swung open slowly.

They had barely opened enough for someone to squeeze through, yet suddenly there were more than a dozen winged people crowding around him. At first, all he could take in was flashes of color and feathers, voices.

A bossy, impatient blue. "What is _this_ , Karkat?"

An excited, foresty green. "Woah! So this is the new chap, eh?"

A brown mass getting pushed out of the way. "H-hey!"

A burst of grey and teal. "GUUUYS! What am I missing?! - woah, what's that smell?"

A jade green. "Everyone, please… calm down…"

Bright pink, and high-pitched laughter.

Yellowish white, a lisping voice. "Jeez… all thith commotion over him? He doesn't look like anything that thpecial…"

Royal violet. An odd voice. An accent? A stammer? "I must say I agree w-with you on that one."

Vibrant, sunset red. "Wait… His wings…"

That red…

Then, "EVERYBODY! GET BACK!"

Amidst the rainbow of people, Karkat burst through, pushing them all back a ways. Once everyone was subdued, at a safe distance, and had tucked their wings back as a sign of their newfound calmness, Karkat took a deep breath.

"Flock, this is John." He motioned from the crowd to the puzzled John.

"John, this is the Flock." He likewise motioned from John to the Anima.

"Now that awkward introductions are out of the way, I say we take him to the Council, okay?"

One of the winged teens came forward, ruffling out his wings and tail enough so the colors were more visible.

Light grey, accented with citrusy orange.

"Hey now, Karkat… let's not be _too_ hasty. Introduce us properly, why don'tcha?"

He combed a hand through his spiky blonde hair, his eyes glinting from behind sharp sunglasses.

Karkat glared. "Dirk, we don't have time for this-"

The orange Anima, Dirk, ignored the angry Karkat and turned to John.

"Well, my name's Dirk. This, as you've been told, is our Flock."

He motioned to the nearest of the crowd.

"Here's Vriska, Jake, Sollux, and Eridan."

A girl stepped forward first, pulling her long, dark hair over one of her shoulders. her wings were a gray color, with bright blue along the bottom edges. She had an air of importance around her, a big ego that bulged forward from her thin, yet strong, frame.

"I'm Vriska," she said, a slight sneer on her face. "Welcome to the club."

Next, a boy pushed forwards. He was a little shorter than Vriska, and his wings were a dark earthy brown, all the longer feathers a dark green. He had a bounce in his step, almost like an excited puppy seeing a new and unfamiliar face.

"I'm Jake! I hope we get to be friends," He smiled, and John smiled back.

He turned away for the next person. He came up to John, and pulling down his glasses, narrowed his eyes, looking the boy up and down. He was tall, and his wings were a yellowish-white, the longest feathers on the left side being blue and the longest on the right being red. His hair was short and honey-blonde.

He replaced his glasses, which were odd, the lenses like old 3-D glasses.

"Tho…" He started. So he was the one with the lisp. "You're the new arrival? I thought we were getting an Anima. Not thome human. KK, where did you find thith guy?"

And this was where all of the gathered Anima shushed completely, studying more closely. Some of them, apparently, had been so engrossed in the fact of John himself, not necessarily what he was or was not.

Before anyone could say anything else on the subject, Karkat answered a little sheepishly.

"Well… it's a little complicated…. this is the one I was sent to get. John Egbert. He just… doesn't have wings. He's a human. I brought him up here to ask the Council… I'm just as confused as you all are."

The the yellow-winged blonde nodded.

"I thee. Well, welcome the the Haven, then. You're the firtht human who'th been up here."

With a stony face, he held out a fist. "I'm Thollux."

John stared at the fist a second before shyly bumping it with his own.

Sollux smiled and laughed a little. "You know what? I think I'm gonna like thith guy. ED, I think you will, too." He turned to the boy behind him.

He was just as tall, and his hair was a wavy blonde, styled up and with a bright violet streak. The same violet adorned the flight feathers on both his wings and tail, and speckling the very pale grey-white on the tops of them. His arms were crossed over his chest and he had a disdainful look on his face, not to be given any sort of direction from Sollux.

"Humph," He gave John a glance. "w-well, I'm Eridan. Nice to make your acquaintance, I suppose." There was the speech impediment John had heard earlier.

Sollux shook his head. "Don't pay him any mind. He doethn't like anyone."

Eridan looked taken aback. "I like some people!"

Sollux grinned. "Like who?"

Eridan grumbled under his breath a little.

"W-well… I like Fef. And Kar."

Sollux returned, "Well duh, you and KK would get along. You both hate everyone. It giveth you thomething to talk about."

Eridan turned away, obviously done arguing with Sollux. The blonde nodded smugly. John figured this was something that happened often, and that the 'hating everyone' thing was just a cover for his grouchiness. He wasn't wrong.

Karkat let a breath out impatiently.

"Can we please get this show on the god-forsaken road?!"

He grabbed John by the arm and began to drag him along to the others. Dirk stepped up and stopped him, retorting,

"Nuh-uh, Karkat. I'm in charge of the introductions now."

Karkat made an angry sound and let go of John.

"Fine! BUt hurry, please and thank you!"

Dirk shrugged his shoulders. "I'll take my merry time. What's your rush, anyway?"

Karkat didn't feel the need to respond. He instead sulked off to let Dirk finish his introductions.

"This," He said, motioning to more of the gathered Anima, "is Rose, Tavros, Aradia, Nepeta, Terezi, and Feferi."

John tried to process the names as the first of the aforementioned bird-kids reached out a hand.

"My name is Rose," she said. Her hair was blonde and bobbed, held with a hairband; her white and purple wings hung relaxed at her sides. "It's nice to meet you."

John shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, too…"

A voice came softly from behind her. "Um…"

She smiled and turned to the boy behind her.

"Come on, Tavros, it's your turn."

The person she was talking to was a short, thin boy with chocolate-and-copper wings. Noticing the attention was on him, he looked down and shuffled his feet a little.

"Tavros," Rose said encouragingly.

He shifted his gaze back up, took in a breath. He held his hand out.

"I'm Tavros… It's, um… nice to meet you," He said, voice only slightly wavering.

John shook his hand, noting that this guy might not open up very easy.

There were quite a few people in the group he didn't think would open up too easily.

The next Anima to step up to him was a girl. She was shorter and a bit stockier than most, had dark brown and red wings, and long, curling brunette hair.

"I'm Aradia," she said brightly. "I hope you like it here."

"Me too," John said, smiling back.

Suddenly, another person bounded in front of him, radiating excitement.

"Hi! I'm Nepeta," she said, waving. "It's great to have you here!"

Her hair was dark, medium length, and messy, and her wings were a warm gray and olive green.

She opened her mouth to say something else, but she was interrupted.

"Hey! I wanna meet the new guy, too!" A loud-voiced Anima pushed in front of Nepeta. She was of medium height, but she had a huge presence. Her black hair almost came down to her shoulders, and her wings were grey and teal, a portion along the tops of which were red.

She had a red silk scarf tied around her neck, and her eyes were a milky white color.

She looked closely at John.

Or really, he thought, she looked closely in his _direction_.

"John, right? I got the sense you weren't an Anima… but wow! A human, up here? I didn't think it was possible," she said, her voice aimed a few inches to John's left.

John laughed a little nervously. "Yeah… I didn't think so, either."

At the first sound of his voice, her head snapped right in his direction, aware of exactly where he was now.

John, still a little confused, looked at Sollux, who stood to his right, for help.

Sollux laughed. "Don't worry, Terezi'th jutht blind. Blind ath a bat."

Terezi glared towards where Sollux's voice had come from.

"Don't make fun of me because I can't see! I can't help my eyes!"

Sollux was not one to give up. "And your eyeth can't help you, either."

Terezi growled, and Sollux smirked.

Right as the two were about to lunge for each other's throats, a chiming voice distracted them both.

"Sollux! Terezi! Show some respect for our guest, why don't you?"

The voice's owner strolled between the two warring Anima.

Her hair was long - knee-length, dark, and waving. Her wings were pink with darker fuchsia feathers along the edges.

The two grumbled and stalked in their separate directions - some moving out of Terezi's way, though it seemed like she knew where she was going.

"I'm so very sorry about that," The singsong-voiced girl said, "we may… fight, sometimes… but we're a family nonetheless. We don't hold grudges... very long," she shot a glance around and everyone nodded - even Terezi. She looked back and saw the skeptical look on John's face. "I mean it, all this arguing is out of love."

There was muted giggling somewhere in the back of the group.

"By the way, I'm Feferi." Either she hadn't heard the laughter, or she was trying hard to ignore it.

"Aaaaaaanyway," Dirk broke in, "we're not done yet."

John internally groaned. He already couldn't remember everyone's names!

"These dorks are Roxy, Kanaya, Jade, and Gamzee."

The first To step up to him was a girl who looked rather like Rose, except that her hair was a bit longer, her makeup more bold, and her wings were adorned with pink, not purple.

"Hey, man," she laughed a bit, "I'm Roxy. I have a feeling you're gonna like it here. I mean, it's all cotton-candy clouds and feather-people, what's not to like? I also have a feeling we're gonna get along without a hitch." She giggled again, this time covering her mouth a little. "Oh my god," more laughter. "I'm talking to a human! An actual human!" Obviously the thought was extremely entertaining. Before too long, a snort escaped her.

Rose stepped up, face hidden in her palm. "Don't mind my sister," she grabbed Roxy's arm to drag her away. "She's just-"

"Just what, huh? A drunk?" Her giggle fit had disappeared. "Is that what you were gonna say, sis? That I'm just a drunk? 'Cause I'll have you know, I'm-"

"Immature! That you're immature and _embarrassing_!" Rose sighed in exasperation.

"Rose, dear…" came yet another voice, a gentle one. "Leave your sister be." The gentle voice was a welcome sound amongst all the yelling that had been happening thus far.

"I am Kanaya. I'm quite glad to see how well you're putting up with all of us…" She had spoken as she came up to stand beside Rose, placing a hand lightly on her shoulder. Her hair was dark and short, and her wings were striking - the outsides of them were a bright green, while the insides were a soft pink. "I swear, we're usually not like this."

Karkat, from somewhere, made another impatient sound.

"Cut the fucking small talk! Tell him your damn names and get on with it!"

Kanaya rolled her eyes. "We may as well listen to him," she started. Then she smiled. "If not, he may throw a tantrum."

"I heard that, Kanaya!"

"Perhaps that's for the better," she called back, turning away with Rose to let someone else introduce themselves.

"Well, I'm Jade," the next girl began. She was short, and had round-rimmed glasses that complemented her long, black hair. Her wings were white and light-green. "and the good news is, you're almost done with all these crazy introductions! I know it's a lot of information to take in, but you'll know us all in no time!"

"He'll never know all of you if you never finish the introductions!"

She looked back, peeved. "Karkat, will you just shut up? Please?"

If Karkat's eye-roll had been audible, it would have been heard clearly throughout the group.

"Well," came a deep voice, "I guess it's my turn, then. Don't want Karbro getting all up and mad," the Anima speaking was tall, towering at least six inches over everyone else. He waved, friendly-like. "Heya, brother. My name's Gamzee." The giant was lanky, topped with a mop of dark curls. His wings, loosely hanging at his sides, were black and purple, with soft grey spots along the tops.

"Alright! That's finally everyone," Karkat had decided to break his near minute of silence.

"Nope," chimed Dirk. "One more. Just Dave. …Equius stayed home," he explained. He led John through to the other edge of the crowd, where one more member of the Flock waited.

"This is my little brother, Dave." Dave stood a little apart from the rest of the Anima. He seemed to be in deep thought.

His hair was short and bleach-blonde, and like his brother, his eyes were covered with shades. His wings were red, the bright red, like a sunset, against a dark, warm grey.

He looked up, his eyes locking with John's. "Hey, I'm Dave…" He still appeared lost in thought.

For some reason, however, John felt so much relief hearing that voice that he nearly wanted to cry. For some odd reason, this voice seemed the most normal and welcoming of all the ones he'd heard that day.

And, before he knew it, his arms found themselves around Dave's body, his hands buried in warm feathers. Out of all the insanity and confusion he had experienced that day, Dave was a welcome sight, like an old, familiar friend, but John had no idea why.

Dave was shocked a moment, before deciding that this was okay.

Odd, very odd, but okay.

He gently wrapped his arms around John's back, rubbing his shoulders a little awkwardly.

A few seconds later, the two became aware of themselves and their surroundings. They sprang away from each other, eyes wide.

"S-sorry…" John apologized. "I don't know…"

Dave recovered quickly and shook his head. "Nah, it's okay."

John smiled. "Thanks…"

Dave shrugged. "No problem."

"There!" Came the familiar yell. "You're done!"

Dirk sighed. "Yes Karkat, we're done."

"Good! So let's get over to the council," Karkat shoved his way through the Flock and grabbed John's wrist. "C'mon, let's go."

Dirk stepped in front of Karkat. "I'm interested in this whole predicament myself. I'm coming with you."

"Yeah! Me too!" came another voice.

"Oh, and us too!"

"Don't forget me!"

"You know it isn't wise to go alone…"

"Why don't we just do this as a family? All together?"

And so, it was near-unanimously decided (Karkat was too busy cursing to vote) that the whole flock - excluding Equius - was to go to the Council together.


	6. AWF - 6 - Council Meeting

6 - Council Meeting

[Marise and the Council (excluding one of them) are my characters, though I hold no copyrights to them and do not care to do so.]

[A/N: Thank you thank you thank you to the few of you who have favorited or followed, and especially to those of you who have commented… Your support is what keeps me going! I am so thankful for all of you!]

/December, 2011, a Friday

 _Council Building_ /

The Council Building, standing atop a hill in the center of the haven, was a large, round building with a domed top. It was all white and gold, all besides the large, important and ancient-looking oak tree.

The room they were in, much like a reception room, was nearly void of anyone. The couches and chairs arranged as a waiting space were empty, and there was only one person behind the service desk. She sat a bit boredly, writing on a piece of paper and taking a moment to smoothen a feather on her yellow wings that had gotten out-of-place.

Karkat walked up to the woman.

She smiled pleasantly, as if she was paid to do so. "Hello, Karkat," she began, "I suppose your mission went we-""

""Yes! It went fine! I'm here to report back to the Council," Karkat seemed a bit peeved at the holdup. He glared back at the Flock. "These idiots decided to tag along."

There were some indignant huffs and mutters from the Flock.

Feferi gently pushed in front of Karkat. "Hello Marise," she addressed the woman with a smile, "I hope you don't let Karkat's grouchy mood get to you… We just need to go see the Council."

Marise smiled back genuinely. "Alright, then. I figure you know where to go?"

Feferi nodded. "Of course. I'll see you later. Bye, Marise."

"Have a nice day," The receptionist called as they left through the large door in front of them.

Feferi took to leading the group around the winding halls, as she seemed to know her way around. Aradia decided that now was as good a time as ever for a history lesson.

"Only the front part of this building is actually the council building. The back half was publicly abandoned years ago," she said to no one in particular, "but there are rumors that-" -here she dropped her voice to a whisper- "that the back is used as a prison."

"A prison?" John asked quietly.

"Yes," she replied, "and there's a lot of evidence to support it. You see, the back half wasn't abandoned until shortly after the Rebellion broke out."

There were collective nods; this was common knowledge.

Terezi, who had been in the back of the group, trailing her hand along the wall, smiled sadly. "The early days of the Resistance… I remember."

John wanted to ask her about it, but Aradia had already moved on.

The back half shut down, but the Council never gave us a reason. …Later that week is when the Hawks showed up." The last part was a murmur. Terezi stopped, clenched a fist, and kept going. Feferi, who had been ignoring Aradia's conspiracy theory until now, turned.

"The Hawks have nothing to do with the Council! There's no proof! The Council never said they have any connection with them!"

Aradia glared. "Feferi, be quiet! You know how easily things can be overheard here. You also know that what you're saying is a bunch of shit." Feferi looked taken aback and Aradia pushed further.

"Don't defend them! You know as well as any of us that the Hawks are directly sent by the Council."

Feferi stood her ground. "No! The Hawks go _against_ the rulings of the Council!"

Aradia marched up to Feferi and spoke in a low, threatening voice.

"Look, _Peixes_ ," she nearly spit the name, "I don't want to hear your biased bullshit."

Aradia turned, dignified, as if nothing had happened.

"Also, around this close frame of time, The Council began to take captive the Rebels."

"It was the Hawks, not the Cou-"

"The Council took them captive, _stripped their wings_ , and tortured them." Aradia was no longer attempting to whisper.

"The only evidence you have is-"

"The words of escaped Rebels, who were hunted down and _killed_ shortly after!"

"By Hawks!"

"By the Council! By your m-"

Both girls immediately fell silent. Aradia looked in front the the group, behind Feferi, her eyes wide. Feferi herself had spun around, a delicate hand clamped firmly to her mouth. The gaze of the entire group, who had been silently observing the argument, followed to see they had arrived at a large, ornate gold door. Feferi and Aradia exchanged concerned glances before recovering themselves. Feferi brushed invisible dust off of her skirt, then cleared her throat and knocked on the door.

The knock was loud, booming. After a moment or so, the door creaked open.

"Who approaches the Council?" Said the mysterious voice that drifted through.

Feferi smiled at the disembodied voice. "It's Feferi. I've come escorting Karkat Vantas and John Egbert."

At the mention of John's name. the door opened further. Light filtered through.

"Enter," came the voice.

Karkat turned swiftly to John. "Just don't say anything unless I tell you to," he whispered. John nodded. He didn't think he could speak anyways.

The room the Flock entered was a huge half-circle. They entered on the flat edge, facing the rounded wall. Long stairways led up the very edges of the open two-story room. The stairs led up to a platform halfway up. There was seated six Anima around a long rectangular table. Everything in the room was white and gold, gleaming bright in the natural light that shone through the glass dome roof. Further along the flat edge of the semicircle protruded the thick, ancient trunk of an oak tree, whose branches extended out of a hole in the glassy roof.

Karkat took a deep breath and followed Feferi up the stairs.

John followed Karkat, and Dave followed John. Dirk and Sollux followed as well. The others were going to come as well, but Terezi stopped at the foot of the stairs.

"…I can't do it," she murmured. "I can't go up there."

Rose took a cautious glance upward. She smiled a little.

"It's okay, Terezi," she said softly, "I knew we shouldn't have left your walking stick at home..."

Terezi looked in Rose's direction, her wings and tail clamped to her body in fear. "N-no, it's not that… Stairs are easy, but I can't go up there… I can't."

Rose stepped up very close, whispering to the blind Anima.

"I know why… But they might not," she would have motioned to the Council if it would have mattered, but Terezi understood her meaning anyways. "You're good at feigning being a cripple… but it is also of use to feign being innocent."

Terezi muttered back, "I _am_ innocent."

"Not in their eyes…"

Terezi gave a stiff nod, then turned around.

"You all can go up without me… It's probably best for me to not try the stairs."

No one questioned why she had a problem with these stairs, even though they sported a gold railing, and on the way up the the room she had scaled many a staircase without the use of a rail. They were all used to the game.

There was a chorus of nervous voices behind her.

"Nah, I'll stay with you…"

"Yeah. We don't want too much of a crowd up there."

"The less they see of us, the better."

So no one else went up.

Feferi stopped just in front of the long white table. The others stood behind her.

"You may begin," Said the Anima in the middle of the table, her voice loud and imposing.

"H-hello," Feferi started, as if nervously greeting someone she knew.

"Salutations. You may begin."

Feferi sighed. "Yes. I have escorted Karkat Vantas here."

The Anima nodded. "Let me speak with him."

Feferi made a short bow. "Yes, m… ma'am."

She ducked back with Dave and Dirk, allowing Karkat and John to step forward.

Karkat cleared his throat and straightened himself, trying to appear taller than the was.

"Greetings, Council. I am Karkat Vantas. I was sent to retrieve a lost Brother."

He spoke with a dignity, though with caution.

The head Archanima nodded again. "Vantas. We are glad to see you back home safely." Now she stood, and fanned out her dark magenta wings, which were tinged with white. "We are eager to hear of your results."

This was where Karkat became unsure.

"It is an odd tale… Please bear with me, Council."

The Council of Archanima looked more closely at Karkat.

"I went down to the Protectorate, as instructed-"

"Simply call it Earth, hatchling. There is nothing for us to protect there."

"Y-yes. My apologies. Old habits. I went down to Earth as instructed, to the specific location of the Anima in question. I was covered, naturally. I asked around for a John Egbert… and I found him."

She smiled. "That is very good. And we trust you brought him here?"

Karkat nodded hastily. "Yes. But this is where things get strange. You see, I found John Egbert, the only John Egbert in the area. But he was not an Anima."

The Archanima's eyebrows raised. "You are saying he was a human?"

"Yes, madam. He was a human. There were not even any signs of his wings being removed. He is human."

"You are saying that we made a mistake?" Her voice grew hard.

"N-no! The Council does not make mistakes, surely," Karkat lied, "But I fear something has gone wrong. See for yourself."

He took gentle hold of John's arm, pulled him into their view. John felt Karkat's hand shaking slightly.

The Council looked him over, silently dissecting him and putting him back together.

The High Archanima smiled, though it was strained.

"I see. Lord Tycho," she turned now to the Anima seated to her right. He stood in recognition of his name, facing her. His dark wings were touched with teal, the same shade as Terezi's. He, however, lacked the red.

"Tycho," she introduced him this time, "is the leader of -and named for- the clan of Tycho, the only full-teal clan of the Anima. The Tychos have extraordinary powers compared to other Anima. Their senses are unmatched. He was the one who sensed there was an Anima down on Earth. Tycho, is this human the Anima you sensed?"

Tycho walked over to John, looking him up and down again, closed his eyes for a minute, and opened them again.

"I sense no humans here… He is like an Anima, in almost all ways, except for appearance…"

The Tycho, puzzled, left John and sat back down, his head in his hand. "I don't understand…"

The Head Archanima frowned, clearly disappointed that her ally had agreed to his mistake. The other members of the Council shifted uncomfortably.

"You must give us time to think this over. Nothing like this has ever happened before. We must consult ourselves."

She waved a hand in dismissal.

"You may leave. Congratulations on completing your mission, Vantas."

Karkat made a quick bow, and Feferi quickly led the group down the long staircase.

When they exited through the door they had entered, everyone seemed to take a simultaneous sigh of relief.

"Well," Dirk announced, "now that _that_ shit is over with, let's go to the Hangout, yeah?"

Karkat nodded. "The sooner we get out of here, the better."

The group shuffled out of the great rounded building, heading towards somewhere John could only imagine.


	7. AWF - 6a - Glitch In Our Matrix

Sub-Chapter 6.a - Glitch In Our Matrix

/December, 2011, a Friday

 _Council Room_ /

The Head of the Council stared intently, yet calmly, at the door until it closed behind the group.

After a few seconds, she turned briskly around, her strong voice shattering the silence.

"Disgrace! How dare they bring that scum to our realm!"

She turned to Lord Tycho, who was avoiding her glare.

"And Tycho! How dared you mistake that thing for an Anima! How dared you admit to your mistake!"

She glowered at the assembled Archanima.

"We are the Council," she spoke lowly, "we do not make mistakes."

Four of the five Council members nodded and voiced their agreement. Tycho, still ashamed and perplexed, said nothing.

She took a deep breath and turned away from her Council.

"What do you all suggest?" Her voice was very strained.

The Council was quiet for a moment. Then, one of the Archanima - the blue-feathered one, turned her face toward the ceiling.

Even though she was not watching, the Head Archanima noticed.

"Yes, Vega? Do you have something to say?"

Vega closed her eyes and whispered gently, "Bellatrix save us…"

Hearing her plea, the others joined her in her whispers.

"May Alshain keep his hand upon our shoulders," the one with violet wings murmured, his voice low.

"Nashira, show us the way…" The small green-and-grey winged woman pleaded.

"Acrux shield us from this darkness," The gold-feathered Anima cried out.

The magenta Archanima fumed.

"Why do you shout to spirits?!" She yelled, hushing the whispers.

"They will hear us," the green Anima said softly. "They always do."

"Mira, you know that they do not-"

Vega stood. "Pray you not to Ankaa?"

The Head Archanima glowered, standing taller, as if she had been challenged.

"Why would I pray to her? She is long dead and gone. Why would I pray to one of the foul Reds? They were exiled for a reason."

"And what was the reason? It seems as if only you Magentas know anymore," the gold Anima countered.

"Rigel, it matters not what they did, it matters only that they never do it again."

She turned to Tycho, who had remained quiet the entire time.

"What say you, Tycho? Do you, too, call to the dead?"

Tycho kept his head down, his voice almost nothing.. "Altais would know what to do…"

"Why do you seek help from the dead?! There is no one to help us! We are the Council of Archanima! We are the highest voice in the land!"

The violet-feathered Anima spoke up solemnly.

"Fellow Council, do not pretend. Do not turn a blind eye to what you know. Her Highness does not pray to Ankaa because she has given herself to-" here he was quite literally choked off, Her Highness' nails digging into his throat.

"Altair," she hissed, "you know not who you speak of."

He snarled at her, and her nails gripped tighter, a trail or two of blood slipping out from under them.

She released him, and calmly allowed him a moment to cough before she screamed, "Death to those who worship the dead! May Haedus claim your souls and Sinistra tear you apart!"

Silence fell like a thick, suffocating blanket at the mention of the two unholy names.

She took a deep breath, pleased with the discomfort and fear she had procured in them.

"Now," she said levelly, trying to keep her voice from shaking with anger, "now that we have that out of our systems, let's move on to something we can agree on, yes?"

The heads around the table hastily nodded.

"We must decide what to do about this… predicament."

More nods.

Vega was the first to actually speak, having taken a long moment to gather her nerves.

"I don't see why we allow him to remain up here… Not only is he a Flightless, but a human!"

Rigel joined her. "You know what those humans have done to their own lands… we don't want that here. ….Not anymore than we have already…" The last statement had been made under his breath, but the others understood without hearing.

"Besides," the soft voice of Mira spoke up, "he looks… so much like… her…"

Her Highness shot the green-winged Archanima a glare.

"We agreed to never speak of her again. She is dead and gone, years ago."

"But it is true… when I first laid eyes on him, all I could see was her face…" Altair whispered, dabbing the hem of his dark cloak at his lightly bloodied throat.

The magenta-feathered Anima sighed.

"Yes, I suppose there is a resemblance. But that is no need for concern, it is merely a coincidence."

"A bad omen," Vega added.

Suddenly, Tycho made his wavering presence known again, definity and certainty in his voice.

"We must keep our people safe, no matter what."

He stood, his voice remaining firm.

"I say we kill him."

Another stunned silence, then nods and solemn murmurs of agreement.

"But what if that group with his decides to protect him? They are on the edge of a rebellion, we all know it." Mira glanced around, saw understanding on the faces around her.

Tycho shrugged. "If they rebel and try to protect the human, we simply kill them, too."

The Head Archanima smiled darkly.

"I agree. Kill the human, and the rebels. Two birds with one stone, if you will." Her chuckle was painted with the same dark demeanor as her smile.

"I always knew you were my ally, Tycho."


	8. AWF - 7 - Hideaway

7 - Hideaway

[A/N: if you would like to skip this next part, it's okay, just make sure you read the actual chapter. Somehow, the first part of this little rant ending up being a weird monologue-type thing… oops]

[A Longing, Sorrowful A/N: Oh… Oh Gog… Today, the day I type these words… this is April the Thirteenth, Two-Thousand Sixteen.

4/13/16.

This is the day that Homestuck ends.

So, to celebrate… No, no.

To _mourn_ , here is a short monologue dedicated to the one thing that both changed and saved my life, and to the man behind the magic.

This is to Homestuck, and to Andrew Hussie.

So, Homestuck.

I've only been with you for a couple of years, but these have been the best years of my life. They have been full of joy, full of laughter, full of fun, and full of friends. They have been full of sadness, full of longing, full of tears, and full of pain. They have been filled with hope, life, love, and full of dreams. They have been full of memories, ones I plan to take with me until the day I die and afterwards.

How I began with you is kind of a funny story, actually.

It began with a dear friend of mine excitedly showing me a few videos that I could not, for the life of me, understand. Those videos were 'You Can't Fight The Homestuck' and the 'Magic Cupcakes' videos.

After watching them, I asked her what the hell I had just witnessed. Her answer, simple as it was, shook my world to its foundation.

"It's Homestuck."

My interest piqued, I looked it up one day.

Long, tumultuous story later, and here I sit.

It seems that an era has ended, an epic tale of universal proportions drawn to a close; giant, heavy, velvet curtains drawn over a scene that has embraced me, nurtured me, fulfilled me, and now, left me with only a ghost of itself to linger with. I feel as if I run my hand along the soft velvet veil as I walk slowly and reflectively across the stage, reminiscing about all the wonderful memories I've experienced there.

I feel… like I can't let go, I can't walk away; if I remove my hand from the dark curtain, it might disappear. If I take too deep a breath, it may very well crumble into dust and blow away beneath my fingers.

So I walk, with the others who feel as I do, trailing my fingertips gently along the curtain. Some do not stay very long. They quickly take a chance and depart, moving on to other stages where different tales unfold. Some go to sit in the audience, putting distance between themselves and the stage, but never straying too far. They could always come back if they wanted.

But I, I alone stay with the curtain, tracing the hem, following every crease in the fabric, never leaving it, never letting it out of my sight.

If everyone leaves, who is to say the entire stage won't evaporate? The thought of everything I've loved for two long years evaporating like water in the sun… it gives me chills. So I stay here.

Some would call me obsessed, and to an extent I would agree. But in truth, I merely want nothing more than to protect this stage where my soul resides.

The curtain grows dusty, and my mind drifts.

I wonder where the others have gone? The others who swore they'd never leave? Where did they go?

Then, something happens that never has happened before.

There is a deep fold in the center of the curtain. I reach my hand into it. It is much deeper than I thought.

How did I never notice? Was it new? Was I always oblivious? Lost in thought? Yes, that's it. Most likely.

I gently, very gently, pull back the curtain.

Light spills through.

I should have known! This is where they have gone!

They continue their adventures here, behind the curtain, in the realm of the past. I am welcomed with open arms and loving words, finally accepted again.

Here, I continue my life of reading and writing, drawing and playing, living and laughing, never again to feel the darkness of reality.

My friends! My friends, I am home! I shall never leave again. Here I shall reside until the world ends.

The show may be over,

But I am not done.

Andrew.

Oh, what to say? How do I thank the man who has done so much for me? So much for so many others? So much for the world?

In all honesty, there is nothing I could ever say that would amount to enough thanks.

Noble Hussie, you have been an inspiration, an idol, a deity, a scoundrel, a bastard, a villain, a hero… You are a master of science fiction and fantasy, a master of keeping us on the edge of our seats and surprising us over and over again, a true connoisseur of stealing the hearts and souls of your fans.

You are truly a legend. Thank you, from the very bottom of my heart. I can't wait to see where you take us all next.

And, if I can confidently say I learned anything from my long journey with Homestuck, it's been:

Everyone is acceptable, no matter your differences.

No matter who you are, there is someone out there who will accept you, understand you.

When you discover something you are passionate about, the sky is certainly the limit.

Your horizons expand only as far as you dare to explore.

True friendships never fade.

You never know how hard you can cry until you read Homestuck…

The feels can be your friends, if you let them.

Never grow too attached to a character…

Always keep reading. No matter how long the damn thing gets, just keep reading.

Never underestimate the motives of a powerful, psychopathic, genius author-god who is out to collect the souls of his fans. Never.

And, above all, Homestuck has taught me this one valuable lesson:

If someone asks you if you want to "play a game", you absolutely, definitely, and _immediately_ say "yes".

Thank you for letting me play; I can _never_ repay you.

~TheDaveOfGuy, 4/13/16]

[A/N: END OF MONOLOGUE/RANT THING  
ANGELS WHO FALL IS CONTINUED BELOW]

/December, 2011, a Friday

 _The Hangout_ /

When they arrived, John wasn't quite sure what to make of the place. The Flock had called it the Hangout, and that's really all it was.

It was located quite a ways away from the rest of the city, but it still offered a perfect view of the white marble buildings and, most importantly, the round Council building they had left from. John wondered momentarily if the placement had any strategic purpose, but he didn't dwell on it long.

The 'Hangout' itself wasn't actually a building; it was more like several rooms carved into the trunk of an enormous tree. It wasn't quite as big as the tree in the Council building, but it was just the right size for what could only be called a treehouse. Tree house. …Tree-house. House in a tree? House that _was_ a tree?

Something like that.

The large trunk was hollowed out, and carved doors were the entry. There were a couple simple windows, and a small balcony higher up. To the right of the main tree was a conjoined, smaller tree, similarly hollowed, except that the doors were much wider.

"Alright, we're here," Karkat announced, allowing John a quick look around. "I'd like to take you straight into the main part of the house, but there's one more of us who you haven't met."

John remembered Dirk saying something earlier about someone staying, so he nodded. He followed Karkat into the side building, and it took his eyes a moment to adjust to the dim light.

The space was larger than it appeared, and was filled with mechanical works-in-progress, and the floor was strewn -neatly- with pieces and parts.

Dirk walked in behind them, as did the rest of the Flock. He breathed in the scent of oil and metal, smiling to himself. He moved in front of Karkat to resume his job of introducing everyone. "Welcome to the workshop, John," he started. "This is where Equius and I like to spend our free time."

He turned to the dimly lit depth of the room. "Eque! Get out here!"

A few moments passed where nothing happened. Then, an Anima pushed himself out from under one of the machines. He stood, swinging an oily towel over his shoulder. He was dressed in working clothes, oil and dirt-stained, and his blackish-brown hair, which went down to barely settle on his shoulders, was slicked back from his face. A hard-working sweat sparkled on his forehead, and he stretched out his dark and inky-blue wings to cool himself off. He smiled at John, and John noticed that one of the young man's teeth were missing.

John smiled back as Dirk continued, clearly wishing to summarize the day quickly.

"Ah, there you are. Anyways, this is the new guy, John. You know, Karkat's 'secret mission'? Well, it turns out that this kid is a human. Now the Council's all 'we gotta consult ourselves', which basically means that that Magenta bitch is going to scream for a while and the rest of them will nod along."

Equius grunted a laugh. "It's nice to hear that the Council is in order, as usual," He set down the tool he had been holding and wiped his hands off on his towel before patting his forehead with it. "Have you shown him the rest of the house yet?"

Dirk shook his head. "Nah, but I'm about to. Care to join?"

Eque nodded, and so he followed the group through a door towards the back of the workshop that led to the main floor of the house.

Like the workshop, it was larger inside than it seemed. Almost everything, of course, was made from wood. The door they came in was on the right side, and to the left was a living area with a couple couches and a few chairs, and a rug on the floor. To the right of the door they entered, there was a small kitchen and a large closet, along with a dining area. In front of them was a spiral staircase that went up to the top floor.

"Ah," Karkat sighed as they stepped in. "Home sweet home, at long last."

He stretched, and was about to sit down on one of the couches when Dave slid in before him and laid completely across it.

"Strider!"

"Yeeees, Kitkat?"

"Get up, damn it! I wanna sit down!"

"Sit somewhere else. This couch is mine."

"It's my house, so it's my couch!"

"Not anymore."

"Boys, please," Kanaya, once again the voice of reason, folded her arms across her chest. "Is this any way to behave when we have a guest? Karkat, you should have sat down faster. Dave, get up. There are nineteen of us here; there's no room for you to take up an entire couch."

Both boys, voicing their complaints, moved. Dave sat up, and Karkat sat down. John sat between them, and the rest of the Flock gathered around, sitting on armchairs, the other couch, and floor alike. A few of them, like Dirk, grabbed one of the chairs from the dining room and brought it to the others. He sat in it backwards, resting his arms on the back.

After everyone was comfortable, there were a few moments of silence before Eridan, who was seated on the opposite couch with Roxy and Terezi, spoke up.

"So, w-what do w-we do now-w?"

Dave shrugged. "We talk."

"Um… about what?" Tavros' quiet voice came from a spot on the floor.

"We could talk about life up here," Nepeta, who was laying on her stomach, suggested. "I'm sure John still has a ton of questions…"

Rose nodded from an armchair. "Yes, I think that would be nice. We have to remember that this is a whole new world for him."

From her perch on the side of Rose's armchair, Kanaya agreed, "Quite. But where would we begin?"

Jake, seated at Dirk's feet, laughed. "Like any good story, I say we start at the beginning!"

After a general consensus of agreement, they settled on giving the task of storytelling to Aradia.

She straightened in her chair and cleared her throat.

"Well… If we were to go all the way back to the first known beginnings of the Anima, it would be the roaming clans. There were six, all of very unique and separate feather colors.

These clans were the Reds, Yellows, Greens, Turquoises, Blues, and Violets. These six clans were all nomadic, moving around wherever they needed to go to find food and shelter. They stayed as far away from each other as possible, but if the need was very dire, they would assist each other.

As the generations passed, they slowly realized that by unifying the clans, they would be better off. So, eventually, the clans began to merge. The first merge was between the Reds and Violets, however the two clans remained separated by their colors. Soon, all six clans merged into one, and they began to settle rather than roam. They still did not intermarry or interbreed, so their colors remained pure. Here is when the first Council of Archanima was formed; the leaders of every individual clan -Ankaa, Acrux, Nashira, Altais, Bellatrix, and Alshain- came together, ruling as one entity. The title of Archanima was passed to another of the original clan at the death of a Council member.

As more time passed, intermarrying and breeding began to mix the colors, resulting in the many different shades you will see today.

The smallest of the original clans, the Turquoise, who were renowned for their extraordinary senses -and shorter-than-average life spans- eventually died off. Their lineage and spectacular gifts were passed to their closest descendants, the Teals-" -here she made a nod to Terezi- "and to the more distant Cyans. A Teal replaced the Turquoise in the Council, and eventually other newer colors began to replace older ones in the Council as well. This is how, today, we have come to have the colors Magenta, Gold, Light Green, Teal, and Dark Blue in our Council. Violet has been the only clan who has remained in the Council since its creation, and as a result, they hold themselves to a 'higher standard' …Basically meaning that they're snooty assholes sometimes." Glances were made in Eridan's direction, but he simply huffed and crossed his arms. There was a giggle from Nepeta, and after that Aradia was free to continue her lecture. "Now, the replacement of Red with Magenta was a very controversial issue at the time, and remains so to this day. The only things we know about it come from this story - which is more or less a legend.

The first Magenta proposed he be let into office the very day the previous Red Archanima had died. He had crazy ideas about his ancestral clan, the Reds, accusing them of treason and crimes they never committed. At least, there was no proof of anything he had said. However, around this time the Hawk clan began to appear - an evil and elusive clan, they had stayed in hiding until then. Their wings were completely black, but whether they were dyed or natural was never known. They terrorized the peaceful Anima of the Haven, and slaughtered hundreds of people in smaller, less defended cities. The Magenta who was looking to join the Council insisted that the Red clan was in liege with the Hawks, and the whole clan had to be either banished or killed. Using the Anima's fear, he entered the Council and turned them against the Reds; then he banished the entire clan, separating spouses and families. While the Reds struggled to survive, they knew the true reason behind their exile.

They had discovered the true connection between the Magentas and the Hawks.

Immediately after his rise to power and the exile of his nemeses, the Magenta turned on his rumored allies, attacking the Hawks with an army of newly-trained Anima. The smaller clan of Hawks couldn't fend them all off, and soon their leaders, a couple named Haedus and Sinistra, were killed, ending the war. The few remaining Hawks dispersed, never to be seen again.

This is where the legend ends and fact picks back up.

After a few more generations, the now very small and close-knit clan of Reds was accepted back into the unified clan of Anima. No one knows for certain if the legend is true, but because of it, relationships between Reds and Magentas -as well as their relatives the Fuchsias and the Pinks- have been strained, at best. No Red has been in the Council since then."

Vriska decided to take up the talking for a little while.

"And that's when we get to the present time," she lounged on the floor, lying on her back. "You see, when the current Magenta bitch took office, the Hawks started coming back. The Council's rulings became stricter. Sometimes, people who openly opposed anything the Council did would be found murdered…"

Most of the Flock looked down, some murmured things under their breath. Terezi and Roxy both shifted uncomfortably, Terezi fidgeting with her hands and scarf, while Roxy drew her knees up closer to her chest, turning to put her head on Terezi's shoulder.

Feferi, on the other hand, stood up, her face tinged with red.

"No! The Council had nothing to do with any of that! I swear, none of it! They didn't kill her! You don't understand!"


	9. AWF - Summer Hiatus & Chapter 8 Preview

Summer Hiatus:

Since I only have access to a school laptop, I will be forced to go on a summer hiatus. I promise this is not the end! I should be up-and-running again once school starts again nest year. I will write as much as I can over the break, so there should _hopefully_ be a big back-to-school update, as well as other new stories.

I apologize from the bottom of my heart and will miss all of you so much! I will try to get Chapter 8 published before I leave, but just in case, here is a little preview for all of my wonderful readers.

Angels Who Fall: Chapter 8 - Reflections

/December, 2011, a Friday

 _The Hangout_ /

Roxy's face tightened. "No! _You_ don't understand!" She choked back a sob. "You didn't know her like I did! The Council was onto her from the beginning!" She sniffled, lowering her head. "I should have stopped her…"

Terezi consoled her, her eyes fixed on blank space.

"You couldn't have stopped her… You know that," Her milky eyes shifted down to the red scarf around her neck. "Just like I couldn't stop him. He was done with just standing by. He had to go seek his fate… and he found it." She herself sniffed a bit, wiping her eyes. "I just wish I'd been with him… I wish I'd found him before it was too late," She shook her head.

She redirected her eerie gaze to Feferi.

"Not three days before he was murdered did the Council condemn us both to death," She scowled. "They would have executed us then and there, except it would've made too much of a mess. They let us go for a while, thinking, 'let the blind lead the blind, they won't get far.' They forgot that we were Tycho-Teals like that bastard in the Council. We would've gotten away! We had the perfect hiding place… If only he hadn't went off chasing glory…" he sadly shook her head, breathing deeply to hold her tears back.

"I loved her…" Roxy whispered, covering her face with her hands.

"And I loved him…" Terezi murmured in reply.

The rest of the Flock sat in silence.

John was stunned. He didn't understand a word of what had been said.

Who had been killed? Why?!

Again, thank you all for continuing to read and comment. I will attempt to reach this site via my sister's computer to read reviews and the like, but chapters and stories may have to wait until August; and after that, updates may come a little slow since I may also me moving to a new town...

But I hope to see all of you back soon, and until then, stay safe and have a wonderful summer!

As we like to say in the Haven,

 _May the wind stay strong beneath your wings. **-TheDaveOfGuy**_


End file.
